2010 CamaroIt's a sign of the times that most buyers of the new Camaro would go for the V6 and not the V8. At $31,595, the eight-cylinder SS model naturally sells for more than the $23,530 base V6 model. To compound the issue the V6 model costs the auto giant nearly as much to build as the V8 version.

So why would GM want buyers to go for the V6? The smaller engine would help the General keep its Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rate on the good side of earth-friendly. But according to Edmunds, customers have been voting with their feet. Their right feet, as it would happen, heavy as they are.

Of more than 47,000 Camaros sold from April through October, Edmunds estimates that about two-thirds have been V8 SS models – a trend we can get on board with.

Aston Martin DB4 GT LightweightWith just 75 built between 1959 and 1963, the Aston Martin DB4 GT is a rare breed. Of those, a mere six are the coveted lightweight models that cut weight by using aluminum components (instead of steel) and delete items like the radio, speakers, and heater. It's not very often that one comes up for sale, but this January in 2010, RM Auctions will be offering a pristine example at their sale in Scottsdale.

Cruzin For A Cure 2011All money raised will be donated to Westmead Medical Research Foundation to be held in the “Peter Moore Trust” as part of a capital fundraising initiative for brain tumour research. Pictures courtesy of www.OzShowCars.com

Sema 2009 011962 Corvette C1-RS is a worthy Goodguys Street Machine of the Year

It takes a lot to win the the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year award, but this custom 1962 Corvette convertible you see here easily deserves the honor. The car not only looks incredible, but it posted the fastest time at the Goodguys autocross track as well! Every single one of the body panels on the car has been modified, and the majority of the components are constructed either of aluminum or carbon fiber.

Powering the C1-RS is an LS7 V8 putting out more than 600 horsepower, but we were most impressed with the eight carbon fiber intake trumpets on either side of the engine that bring air into the intake manifold. The interior was beautifully crafted as well, with a custom fabricated aluminum dash and console and Alcantara and leather seats.

The clean exterior of this 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle hides a wicked little secret – if you take a look at the photo above, you'll see what we mean. The bundle of plumbing you see spilling out of the engine bay tells only part of the story – that's no overworked Chevy small block in there, it's a Duramax diesel that has been pushed to new heights thanks to an outrageous custom twin-turbo setup. The stripped-out interior and racing slicks out back show the true purpose of this ride.

The Chevelle was built by Mike Racke and was recognized as one of Popular Hot Rodding magazine's Top Ten Builds this year. We couldn't agree more.

Sema 2009 03SEMA 2009: Mid-engined Ghepardo is one part Corvette, one part Camaro, 100% SEMA

Here's what we know: Caccia Custom Cars took a 2002 Chevy Camaro and a 2002 Chevy Corvette and created the Ghepardo. The car uses the Camaro's frame and the Corvette's motor and suspension. The motor is mounted amidships, albeit backwards (note the throttle body). And the House of Kolor paint is called Pagan Gold. Also, you should not confuse this SEMA all-star Ghepardo with the 2006 Bizzarrini Ghepardo concept.

As for this Ghepadro... it's not that bad looking. In fact, the longer we stare at the exterior, the more we like what we see. Obviously we can't get past the gaudy chainmail armor covering up every single vent and opening. And we'd prefer if the five-slot wheels weren't chromed. That said, in profile, it's a nice looking mid-engine coupe and the rear is quite muscular. The front even has a touch of new Lexus, which while sacriligious for a Chevy-on-Chevy mashup like this, ain't bad at all.

The interior, on the other hand, is a house of horrors. Everything is covered over in prison-grade Alcantara or carbon fiber-look fiberglass. Even the fire extinguisher!! Also, we're pretty sure a 15/16" cutting tool isn't the smartest Dremel attachment to use for a show car. In fact, in this Autoblogger's mind, the Ghepardo is now in the running neck-and-neck with the Masonry Vitesse Rose for having the worst interior ever – quite a distinction! Additionally, the Ghepardo fills our minds with the delightful image of Corvette and Camaro fans/owners beating each other to pulps with giant oversized cartoon hammers. Perhaps that's just the food around here talking...

The Chevrolet Camaro might have a dominating presence on the show floor at SEMA, but there were still a handful of Dodge Challengers to wave the Mopar flag. This particular example was found tucked away in the Chrysler display described as a "Mopar Edition" and features two dozen items straight from the Mopar catalog. Some are as simple as the hood pin kit ($71), while other upgrades are more substantial like the Stage II coilover suspension system ($1,750).

We especially liked the Mopar Edition hood decal even though it's a bit pricey at $350, and the set of five-spoke, 20-inch aluminum wheels would be on our wish list as well. Follow the jump for the full list of parts installed on the car, and decide what would go on your own Mopar Challenger.

Saleen Performance Vehicles has finally given us our first live view of its 2010 S281 Mustang. Those initial pictures showed lots of potential, and our positive first impressions were confirmed when we saw the car in person. To put it bluntly, Saleen has perfectly hit the mark with their new design. The modern design flows perfectly with the lines of the 2010 Mustang, even better than with the previous car.<br /><br />We especially love the rear of the 2010 S281, which essentially fixes the awkward taillight design by extending the rear fenders and recessing the lights. Saleen has done well with the little details too, like the slick-looking shifter and the glowing Saleen emblem in the door panel that replaces the pony logo.<br /><br />As far as performance goes, Saleen is sticking with what has worked in the past. They have affixed their Series VI supercharger system atop the 4.6L V8, which is good for 485 horsepower and 460 lb-ft torque. The S281 also gets a new Racecraft suspension system, 3.73:1 gears, and 20-inch wheels with Pirelli P-Zero Rosso tires. Pricing has yet to be announced, but expect MSRP to come in around the mid $60,000 range.

We like subtle and we like power. But at SEMA the two are usually mutually exclusive. Usually. After laying eyes and hands all over the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro HPE700 LS9 and talking at length with John Hennessey, we think we've found our favorite Chevy of the show.

We've been covering its development from the beginning, so just a quick recap: After moving a few vacuum lines, fabricating a custom header and spending three months working out the wiring, Hennessey and his crew shoehorned the Corvette ZR1's supercharged LS9 into the engine bay, fitted a new intercooler and pulleys and tuned the Camaro to 725 hp (at 6,400 RPM) and 741 lb-ft of torque (at 3,200 RPM).

According to the man behind the machine, the HEP700 is putting out 651 hp and around 650 lb-ft of torque to the wheels on a Dynojet, good for a 0-60 MPH time of 3.5 seconds and a quarter mile sprint of 11.3 seconds at 126 MPH. And the mods didn't end with the engine. A set of KW V3s are fitted at all four corners and coupled with the 20-inch wheels with 275/35 (front) and 305/35 (rear) rubber, contributes to a claimed skid pad of 1.01g. Six-pot Brembos clamp onto 15.1-inch discs in front, while 14.1-inch rear rotors are squeezed by four-piston calipers, helping the HPE700 stop from 60 in 104 feet.

If you're aching to get your hands on one of the 24 ZR1-powered Camaros, you'd better drop a dime post haste -- there are only five remaining, each carrying a price tag of $119,500

After seeing some pretty incredible cars built by Ringbrothers over the past few years at SEMA, we couldn't have had higher expectations for their newest vehicle dubbed "Afterburner". Even so, we were absolutely floored by this latest creation after seeing it in person on the show floor.

Based on a 2-door 1964 Ford Fairlane, Afterburner received a full makeover from the Ringbrothers including a carbon fiber hood, fenders, front and rear bumpers, side intakes, and deck lid spoiler. Billet aluminum can be found pretty much everywhere on the car, from the engine bay to the tail lamps to the gas cap. Even the prop rods that hold up the sunshades inside the car are machined 6061 aluminum. The exterior even features three different colors of BASF R-M Diamont paint - Afterburner Red, Agent Orange and Mission Brown. The look is finished off with a set of Forgeline 3-piece wheels.

Under the hood of Afterburner is a Roush 427 IR crate motor, and it's one of the prettiest motors we have ever seen. Listed at 560 horsepower and 540 lb-ft of torque, the 7.0-liter V8 is mated to a Bowler AOD transmission.

Sema 2009 08SEMA 2009: Dodge Challenger 1320, living life a 1/4 mile at a time

It's always somewhat dark and murky down at the Mopar booth at SEMA, but this year Chrysler managed to bring out some pretty cool concepts. One of our favorites is this Dodge Challenger 1320 (if you don't know the reference, channel you inner Vin Diesel), which started as a Drag Pak Challenger and even has a cool Christmas tree lights logo on the front fender.

The heart of the Challenger 1320 is an all-aluminum Gen III 426ci crate engine putting out 556 horsepower and 540 lb-ft torque. The folks at Mopar gave the engine bay a few unique touches including custom valve covers, intake manifold, fuel rails, and long tube headers. The body, although it looks relatively stock, has been upgraded too and features a carbon fiber hood, front spoiler, and headlight surround. If you look closely you can see that the inside headlights have been removed and ducted to the cold air intake system. Other upgrades include a Dynatrac rear end, ARB locking differential, Mopar police wheels, adjustable coilover suspension system and Mickey Thompson street-legal drag radials on all four corners

Okay, this is so awesome it hurts. The guys at Legacy Innovations took a perfectly lovely but woefully underpowered 1959 Fiat 500 and turned it into a Fiat 7,000. The Fiat 500 is an iconic car, one with tremendous nostalgic charm, but it was never really much good as a car until they redid it a few years ago. So although we might love the little 500, it doesn't provide a very good platform for what the Legacy Innovations guys had in mind for it – namely drag racing.

Easy fix though. They broke out the torches and gutted it. They basically removed all of the weak stuff and replaced it with a full-on 4130 chrome molly tube chassis, hinged the body in true Funny Car fashion and dropped in a 725-HP 427 small block. The body was kept relatively stock, save for the hood cutout, but they still managed to mount a pair of Hoosier slicks in back and still had room for wheelie bars that extend out far enough to effectively double the length of their little 500.

No word on how quick this baby is in the quarter, but we bet it's quick enough to embarrass just about anything else coming out of Italy. It's cars like this that make the trip to SEMA totally worthwhile.

In the Ford booth at SEMA this year, Autoblog.com spotted a matching set of 1967 and 2010 Shelby GT500 Mustangs. White with blue stripes, they looked incredible even in the unflattering lighting of Central Hall. The 1967 example is a verified Shelby original, number 3139 in the Shelby Registry. The 2010 GT is a one-of-a-kind special edition done up in the same Wimbledon White with Guardsman Blue stripes as the old-timer. It has been dubbed the Patriot Edition and features a host of aftermarket changes that make it more closely match its ancestor.

While stopping to check them out we noticed a big sign nearby, telling us they could both be ours. Apparently, this duo is being raffled off to raise funds for the Healing Heroes Network, a charity that benefits injured Veterans. So buying a ticket or 10 is a chance to win these fantastic Shelbys, and support a worthy cause. Sounds like an easy decision to us. If you'd like to donate, buy tickets, or just find out more about the cars, the charity and the auction, check out this website http://winthemustangs.com/

Sema 2009 12SEMA 2009: Gran Turismo Best in Show is the Trans-Cammer Mustang.

Phillip Koenen brought a really gorgeous, miles-deep-black, 1970 Mustang to SEMA and came away with another fine piece of hardware:The Gran Turismo Best in Show award. For the past several years, Sony Computer Entertainment America has hosted these awards, which honor some of the coolest cars at SEMA.

Koenen's SOHC 427-powered "Trans-Cammer" snagged the Best Hot Rod award in addition to winning Best in Show. Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi awarded the trophy himself at the awards ceremony, which rocked The Palms' Rain nightclub Wednesday night. In addition to the the trophy, Koenen's beloved "Trans-Cammer" Mustang wins the right to be featured in a future installment of the Gran Turismo series.

Every year at SEMA, the autoblg.com team fill the week with posts featuring special vehicles and products that they felt were important enough to share. Generally, they are the most newsworthy projects and new model introductions, but sometimes they are just things that caught our eye. When all is said and done, we think we've given all of you a good taste of what's on offer here in the desert.

Of course, there are always things we see and shoot that don't make it into the regular posts from the days we are here. We end up with a few hundred photos of random weirdness and cool stuff that just didn't make it into a dedicated post. That's what this post is for. It's basically a chance to dump some of that random wackiness and wonder that is SEMA into one big bowl and invite you all to take a sip. Click on the gallery below and you'll see race cars, hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles, wheels and more. None are labeled, but all should provide a unique look at what we saw at SEMA 2009.